Fairfield County Home

A tour through one of Robin’s most elegant creations, a Greenwich home that exudes English Country design.

From “English Country Side of Fairfield County: A Greenwich home inspired by elegant luxury of the past”, By Krista R. Carnes; Photography By Chi Chi Ubeña:

[ENTRY HALL: The great hall, with double-height ceiling, intricate inlayed herringbone floor and fine art and antiques, is an inviting space for visitors.]

When her New York City clients decided to build a new English-Country–inspired home in Greenwich, interior designer Robin Baron was brought into the project from conception. After all, she knew the couple’s taste and interests, having worked with them over the years to design their large Park Avenue apartment, which held a treasure trove of fine antiques.

The goal for the Greenwich house was one Baron wholly embraced: to create an elegantly livable home that looked and felt as though it had stood on the property for many years. In just over two years, the homeowners moved into the Grand Center Hall Colonial that gracefully achieved the goal, thanks to Baron’s keen eye and unique perspective in every corner of the house.

[LIVING ROOM: Filled with custom details and a soft, warm color palette, the living room embodies luxury and comfort.]

[FACING PAGE: The breakfast area, with a hand-painted table and custom designed chairs, connects with the kitchen and family room in one large cohesive space.]

“I pride myself on creating homes that are welcoming and encourage people to really live in them,” said Baron, who founded her New York City firm Robin Baron Design 18 years ago after a successful career as a fashion designer. “The clients wanted this home to be a softened version of their formal and traditional apartment. We went for a ‘high country’ instead of casual to incorporate their desire for both elegance and comfort.”

The tour begins in the center of the home, the kitchen, which flows seamlessly into a breakfast area and family room. The entire space takes up almost the whole width of the approximately 8,000-squarefoot house. “As an expert cook, the client had definite ideas of what she wanted,” said Baron. That list included top-of-the line appliances, a built-in Miele coffee cappuccino machine, and plenty of storage as part of the gourmet kitchen.  Three finishes were chosen to create a unified yet unfettered feeling in the room: ivory paint on the walls and glass-door cabinets, dark-stained wood on the center island to complement the dark wood floor, and an antiqued green paint on the custom designed desk area lining the wall.

[LIBRARY: Awash in rich deep blue and rust colors, this elegant, yet cozy room is dedicated to the owner’s love for books.]

One of Robin Baron’s signature elements is a mantle-style range hood cover, which was used here. It serves a dual purpose of both framing a striking custom designed patterned backsplash of tumbled and hand-painted marble used in tandem with polished verde mosaic marble, and creating a unique space for display; in this case, a piece of fine art. “I always like to place something interesting and unexpected over the hood to add interest to an otherwise forgotten area,” she said. “In all my projects, I like to address areas others might overlook.”

In the breakfast area, the custom made painted table is surrounded with embroidered cotton chairs; the backs of the chairs are upholstered in a yellow version of the same green fabric on the fronts of the chairs, creating a play on itself while adding visual interest. The table received an antiqued green-andivory hand-painted design that flows with the color scheme of the kitchen area. The antique brass light fixture was found at Ann Morris Antiques.

The breakfast room moves easily into the charming family room, connected by a bank of windows with custom drapery of long stationary panels with a deep overlapping top layer in a subtly embroidered fabric and thick trim detail on the top layer. Keeping with the high-country theme, the custom sofa is upholstered in different embroidered cotton, accented with a mix of new and antique Aubusson pillows. A Bausman custom red lacquer table completes the arrangement, while the Stark Carpet area rug grounds the room. Baron finished the room with special details like incorporating the owner’s antique English coal pots into the room and custom-designing the lampshades with tassel trim to add a bit of elegant whimsy. “I like to use traditional elements in unexpected ways. Tassel isn’t typically used on lampshades and that’s why I like it. I like to mix things up a bit.”

The spacious dining room off the kitchen area is a more formal space, with an impressive collection of fine antique pieces, including a large silk-lined hutch from Mill House Antiques in Woodbury, CT, and an antique English mahogany table surrounded by custom chairs, which Baron again covered with alternating colors of the same fabric and trim.  The silk balloon shades are surrounded by silk panels and a top swag that, along with the custom Aubusson Stark Carpet rug and antique Baccarat chandelier, gives the room elegance and formality.

To contrast, the walls received a green-colored strié finish by Baron’s decorative painter Mike Alpert. It complements the rich green-and-gold glazed ceiling, an element that adds drama and warmth in a subtle way that doesn’t overpower the rest of the room. “Ceilings are one of the most overlooked places,” said Baron. “They provide a great opportunity to tie a room together and create impact. I chose this treatment for the added warmth that makes you feel enveloped by luxurious comfort.”

The dining room is finished with personal touches that Baron found with the homeowners—a series of eight antique architectural prints beautifully framed and hung over an antique sideboard.

[DINING ROOM: Enveloped in warmth created by the rich strié wall finish and gold ceiling treatment, the dining room is a showcase for the fine antique pieces and custom drapery.]

[INSET: A beautiful set of double matted framed architectural prints create visual interest over the dining room’s antique sideboard.]

Crossing into the center hall, the double-height ceiling draws the eyes upward to a pair of large paintings facing one another on opposite walls. At Baron’s suggestion, the huge-scale Venetian scenes were commissioned by the homeowners from Stamford artist Suzanne Bellehumeur to create a sense of grandeur, while still retaining an old world feeling.  The room’s other elements—the wood inlay herringbone floor and a unique pair of rare antique chests with pristine faux book detail flanking the mahogany door—invite lingering and examination of the welcoming space.

Opposite the dining room, the formal living room is delightfully designed in a corresponding color scheme of peaches, whites, golds and greens. A stunning custom Aubusson carpet is the base on which the custom tassel-trimmed sofas, with a mix of old and new Aubusson pillows, and fine antique coffee table are arranged. The custom mahogany mantle with pink marble surround anchors the room. The walls received a peach glaze to accent similar window treatments to the dining room, but with opposing colors in a complementary fabric to add symmetry and balance yet keep the space distinctive. Adding to the visual interest, fine antique pieces and decorative items are placed around the room.

The owner of the house requested a library be created as a sanctuary in which he could indulge in his love of reading. Connected to the family room and the living room, the library’s rich deep-blue-and-rust color scheme was taken from the exquisitely detailed antique carpet Baron chose, noting that she often begins a room with a rug and works her way up. In addition to custom wood paneling and bookshelves to house the owner’s extensive collection, Baron designed the custom furniture to serve the clients’ lifestyle of offering comfort and the ability to entertain in the space. The oversize ottoman doubles as a table, and a pair of gorgeous marble-topped antique tables bookend the plush sofa.  The window treatments, a restrained mix of striped silk swags and jabots finish the room, bringing the eye to the lush views outside of the bay window.

In the master suite, Baron chose a soft, luxurious feel for the bedroom and sitting areas. The beautiful tray ceiling that runs the length of the rooms is accentuated with a custom stencil designed by Baron and Mike Alpert in a metallic gold with pink-and -green accents that lends a romantic feeling to the entire space.  The walls are decoratively painted with salmon-colored glaze that plays off the wall-to-wall floral-patterned carpeting. The window treatments in the bedroom and sitting areas again utilize the cohesive effect of alternating colors of the same fabric, playing off each other in these coordinating spaces in balloon shades with panels and a goblet-pleated valance. The headboard is upholstered in silk, which sets off the custom bedding, including a custom double-tiered bed skirt, pillows and a custom Matelasse bedcover, all with tassel trim.  Completing the calm, elegant atmosphere of the room are custom lampshades and more fine antique furniture pieces, including a beautiful antique gold-leafed, bow-topped oval mirror.

[BEDROOM: The master suite’s bedroom and sitting area, with a custom stenciled tray ceiling, is a romantic sanctuary for the homeowners.  Bentley, their West Highland Terrier, enjoys the room’s custom sofa and ottoman.]

Creating a space for more casual entertaining was high on the homeowners’ list of priorities, and they were specific in their desire. Having spent a great deal of time in England, the clients wanted a true English pub in the basement level of their Connecticut home.  Opening out onto a charming stone patio, “The Pub,” with its high-impact plaid carpeting, boasts an authentic array of details that truly transport guests to another place. A huge mahogany bar was created, complete with brass foot rail and built-in beer taps and recessed lighting that plays off the assortment of glassware (including, of course, pub-worthy pint glasses). In its own area, with a decoratively tiled floor that has the appearance of wood, stands a stunning, decoratively carved wood billiard table lit by an authentic billiard table light fixture that invites many a visitor to play. Sparing no detail, the paneled walls surrounding the game table have a built-in shelf at elbow height that serves to hold players’ pints.

In addition to being the main entertaining space of the house, the cozy, dimly lit room also serves as a home theater, with a large plasma television and a high-end sound system throughout. The overstuffed custom leather sofas and chairs, and multiple tabletops in the room, add comfort and practicality.

[GAME ROOM: Modeled after a true English pub in which the homeowners can more casually entertain, “The Pub” features a custom designed bar, hand-carved billiard table and deep leather sofas, as well as a home theater system.]

Baron’s design philosophy is to always appreciate a client’s lifestyle so she can have an intimate understanding of their needs and tastes. Whether working on modern, contemporary designs, or traditional ones, Robin Baron is gifted at harmoniously incorporating multiple elements and desires to produce truly individualized creations for her clients.